Digital Government
Interior, HHS and GSA jump on HR bandwagon
The Interior Department, the Department of Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration are rushing to upgrade their human resources systems with the hope of selling the new services to other federal agencies. Spurred on by outmoded systems based on 1970s technology, agencies a
Digital Government
Taxes, time and a telescope: try the latest in Web wonders
Once in a blue moon, the Internal Revenue Service serves up a pleasant surprise. You can find one at http://www.irs.ustreas.gov. True, reading about changes in the tax code, perusing plainlanguage tax regulations and downloading tax forms won't ever qualify as pastimes of choice, but somehow the I
Digital Government
Infosec pact wilts; agencies lack funds
The Defense Department's premier information security contract, valued at almost $2 billion when awarded last July, has fizzled out after hitting its minimum guarantee of just $6 million, knowledgeable industry and former DOD sources said. The state of the contract worries security experts concerne
Digital Government
Delrina upgrades FormFlow
Symantec Corp.'s Delrina Group today announced FormFlow 2.0, a major upgrade of the company's federally popular electronic forms software. FormFlow 2.0 offers features that may strike a cord with federal users: the ability to store forms on Internet file transfer protocol (ftp) sites and an encrypt
Digital Government
NASA launches SEWP II buy worth $1 billion
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center last week launched a fouryear, $1 billion procurement for Unix workstations, peripherals and networking gear that will be open to the entire government on an unprecedented scale. Due for award this year, the Scientific and Engineering Workstation Procurement (SEW
Digital Government
Government's approach to EC has room for improvement
In October 1993 President Clinton issued a landmark memorandum mandating electronic commerce (EC) for federal procurement. The response from federal agencies thus far has been mixed. The government's decision to implement EC is a good one, but utilizing an approach that is opposite the proven comme
Digital Government
Packard Bell to gain fed entry in ZDS buyout
Zenith Data Systems may offer federal government customers a chance to buy PCs from consumer market powerhouse Packard Bell Electronics as the result of Packard Bell's pending acquisition of ZDS from Groupe Bull. After the merger is finalized, ZDS Federal Systems will have a wide array of options a
Digital Government
DOD to extend SAIC contract; other vendors question impact
Late last month the Defense Department said it planned to extend its contract for the $1 billion Composite Health Care System (CHCS), angering the health care automation industry but creating a potential boon for contractor Science Applications International Corp. A notice published Jan. 23 in the
Digital Government
EDS formally opens Navy's PC LAN+ for business
Electronic Data Systems Corp. last week formally opened its Navy PC LAN+ contract for business. At a Washington, D.C., customer briefing, EDS provided details on ordering procedures, product offerings and pricing. Although the event was designed to kick off the networking pact, ordering actually st
Digital Government
FAA proposal would limit bidders, protests and regs
Just months after being cut free from conventional federal procurement regulations, the Federal Aviation Administration is circulating copies of its acquisition reform proposal in preparation for getting a new system in place by April. As expected, the proposal contains many elements of reform init
Digital Government
Services job joins pending $200M pact to replace NOAVA
The Department of Veterans Affairs late last month kicked off a support services buy that will accompany a $200 million computer equipment solicitation already under way. The two contracts will replace the agency's $298 million Nationwide Office Automation for the VA (NOAVA) program. The request fo
Digital Government
Mitre spinoff targets broader client base
Mitre Corp. has spun off a new company called Mitretek Systems Inc., which will seek information systems engineering projects among agencies outside its primary client base in the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration. The creation of Mitretek, announced earlier this month, ref
Digital Government
INDUSTRY WATCH
Lotus Offers Support on GSA Lotus Development Corp. earlier this month said it will offer support services to federal customers through the General Services Administration schedule beginning March 1. Lotus' GSA Premium Support program will provide customers with priority access to Lotus technical s
Digital Government
Deca hands $200M modernization pact to AT&T NCR
The AT&T NCR Division has won the Defense Commissary Agency's (Deca) fouryear pointofsale modernization contract valued at up to $200 million, a win that reflects the company's more historic product lines. NCR, known for its stronghold on the commercial pointofsale market, was named AT&T Globa
Digital Government
Nonprofit research centers hit with strict funding limits
The Defense Department has outlined new policies to strengthen its management of notforprofit research and development organizations while reaffirming the "critical" role these groups play in DOD's mission. DOD is putting stricter limits on ongoing and future activities of federally funded rese
Digital Government
IG report: AWIPS not ready
The Commerce Department is rushing its troubled automated weather system into production by October and deploying an incomplete system with serious holes, according to a report due for release today by the department's inspector general's office, a persistent critic of the National Weather Service'
Digital Government
DGPS sets new course in navigation
The Coast Guard turned on its nationwide Differential Global Positioning System network last week, launching what Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena called a "new era in navigation." The 47 sites in the Coast Guard DGPS network provide complete coverage of all U.S. coastal waters, includin
Digital Government
Lotus Notes 4.0 provides conversion challenge
Federal users looking to migrate from earlier versions of Lotus Development Corp.'s Notes to Notes 4.0 are in for a challenging task. That is the opinion of a number of resellers and consultants experienced with Lotus' groupware product line. Accordingly, vendors are offering Notes 4.0 seminars and
Digital Government
No consensus on rewrite of Part 15
Reforming federal procurement means, in part, redefining key concepts in the Federal Acquisition Regulation, according to one former contracting law professor. "Almost all operative words are not defined properly or need redefinition," Ralph Nash, a professor of contract law who is retired from T
Digital Government